Holiday Weight Gain: 5 Smart Ways To Avoid It

Picture this: It's Dec. 31 at about 8 p.m. You've successfully been manicured, waxed, colored
and glossed into oblivion. That chic LBD you scored on Gilt back in November is hanging in the closet just waiting to dazzle your cohorts.

This nightmare doesn't have to happen to you. In my new book "Bread is the Devil" I provide you with plenty of things you SHOULD do, because the only thing that needs to be round and sparkly this year is the ball in Time Square.

Here's a few to get you started:

1. DO remember to wear tight fitting clothes.

That's right, even to the office party. Choose a fitted dress or pencil skirt with a snug sweater. Wearing body conscious clothes will serve as a reminder that you can't overeat. Shift dresses can be paired with a wide belt notched one size smaller than usual for a more tapered look. Guys, you don't get a free pass here.

2. DO delay gratification and wait at least 20 minutes before eating at an event.

Make at least one full lap around a party before starting in on the appetizers. Think about it: It's rude not to greet people when you walk in, and how are you going to do that with a mouth full of food or hands compromised with a beverage and a canapés?

3. DO keep your hands to yourself at all times.

Keeping a drink in one hand and a cocktail napkin in the other will make it difficult for you to keep reaching for those mini quiches we all know and love.

4. DO ruin your appetite.

We won't tell your mother. It's far better to go to a party on a half-empty stomach than an empty one. By eating a pre-party snack you have the opportunity to make a sober food decision based on your preferences and not based solely on what's offered at the party. Consider it nutrition pre-gaming.

5. DO start now.

If you had even a one-fourth pound weight loss for every time you said "Oh, I'll start tomorrow," you'd be a skeleton. Waiting for a New Year's resolution is just delaying your goal by that many more days. It may not be feasible to lose weight during December, but there's certainly no reason why you need to gain weight. There will never be a perfect time to eat right -- you have jump right in and start with your next meal!

Read more about Heather and schedule an appointment with Nu-Train. Be a fan of Heather Bauer and follow her on Twitter! Her new book, "Bread is the Devil," is out January 3.